Located in northeast Brazil, Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará and one of the largest cities in the country. The Ceará coastline features sunshine all year, with warm waters and refreshingly cool winds. Fortaleza is known as one of Brazil's top party cities, and most of the tourist activity takes place within five blocks of the beach. While Fortaleza offers a fun Miami Beach-type experience, relaxing beaches and buggy-ready sand dunes await just outside its borders.

Futuro Beach

Praia do Futuro is the ideal city beach. Though just inside Fortaleza, it is away from the hotels and urban development, which makes Futuro an easy-to-reach beachfront escape. In fact, Lonely Planet called it the best beach in the city. Surfing and sunbathing are the main activities, but the beach is particularly famous for its food. The sand is lined with barracas, palm-thatched stalls serving delicious regional foods and drinks.

Iracema Beach

Iracema is the city's boardwalk beach and bustles day and night with activity. There are lots of restaurants and bars, including Pirata, one of the most famous nightclubs in all of Brazil. The beach itself has a wide stretch of sand used for sunbathing, beach games and swimming in the ocean's calm waters. Thanks to the beach's central location, most travelers can reach it by foot from their hotels and tend to come back at night to drink and dine.

Porto das Dunas Beach

Just past the southern end of Futuro Beach, Porto das Dunas is the first main beach outside the city. The area itself is a vacation town and features several miles of beautiful coastline, huge white sand dunes and the largest water park in South America. The gorgeous beach attracts both sunbathers and surfers, but many people come to Porto das Dunas to take a buggy ride or sandboard on its namesake dunes.

Cumbuco Beach

About 20 miles from Fortaleza, Cumbuco boasts one of the top beaches north of the city. This small fishing village features gentle blue waters, shady palm trees and a wide stretch of white sand. For those who want activity, Cumbuco has dunes for buggy tours and sandboarding and lakes for freshwater swimming. The town is also a paradise for kiteboarding and windsurfing, and traditional jangada boats stand ready for those who want a Cumbuco Beach view from the ocean.

Morro Branco Beach

About 80 miles south in the Beberibe district, Morro Branco Beach and nearby Praia das Fontes are possibly the area's most picturesque beaches. Often visited on day tours, this stretch of coastline features stunning red- and white-colored cliffs, sandy white dunes and colorful rocky areas known as the labyrinths. Tours visit the main sights by dune buggy and horseback, but visitors can also explore the area independently on foot. Naturally, any activity should be followed with a relaxing swim in Morro Branco's warm waters.

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About the Author

David Jenison served as a staff editor for more than 10 years, contributing to magazines such as "Grammy," "Burn Lounge," "Ingenue," "Hypno," "Mean Street" and "Dispatch." He also wrote a weekly column for E! Online.